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WAR, MASCULINITY, and GAMING in the MILITARY ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: a CASE STUDY of CALL of DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE by KYLE KONTOUR

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WAR, MASCULINITY, and GAMING in the MILITARY ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: a CASE STUDY of CALL of DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE by KYLE KONTOUR WAR, MASCULINITY, AND GAMING IN THE MILITARY ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: A CASE STUDY OF CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE by KYLE KONTOUR B.A.; University of Denver, 2000 M.A.; University of Otago, 2002 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Journalism and Mass Communication 2011 This thesis entitled: War, Masculinity and Gaming in the Military Entertainment Complex: A Case Study of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare written by Kyle Kontour has been approved for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Stewart Hoover, Committee Chair Michele Jackson, Committee Member Polly McLean, Committee Member Janice Peck, Committee Member Lynn Schofield-Clark, Committee Member Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. ABSTRACT Kontour, Kyle (Ph.D., Communication, School of Journalism and Mass Communication) War, Masculinity, and Gaming in the Military Entertainment Complex: A Case Study of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Dissertation directed by Professor Stewart Hoover Over the last decade, critical scholars have pointed to the acceleration of the cultural, aesthetic, technological and political economic ties between the military and entertainment industries, noting both its synergistic nature and the purported effects of militarism on an already masculinized, technophilic culture of gaming. This may have deleterious effects on society, where videogame players may be trained to think like soldiers—both in terms of combat performance and hegemonic military masculinity. Utilizing game studies methods of textual analysis and cyberethnography, and drawing on critical work concerning war and masculinity, this dissertation argues that while it is true that games such as these are imbued with problematic ideological content, the “training” that players receive is not primarily on these terms. Rather, players are disciplined to adhere to gamic norms of performance—efficiency, proficiency, and masculine performativity—which are inculcated by ludic structures and largely understood on terms which originate within the social ecology of gaming, transcending local social realities. This dissertation concludes that the performance required of players challenges traditional notions of the requirements of military masculinity, and that a critical challenge of the military entertainment complex is not that society becomes more militaristic, but rather that warfare, and performances within it, become more game-like. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support, advice, dedication, and feedback I have received throughout the research and writing of this project. Foremost I want to thank my advisor, Professor Stewart Hoover, who surely prevented me from veering off into the abyss more than once, and whose guidance on this project was vital. I would also like to thank my committee members, Associate Professors Michele Jackson, Polly McLean, Janice Peck, and Lynn Schofield-Clark, for their feedback on the the project in its early stages, and whose comments and suggestions both forced me to rethink certain approaches and revise early presumptions. Thanks to Tom Apperley for providing continual feedback and giving me both the impetus and encouragement to pursue unique lines of inquiry, and especially for giving me invaluable advice. Thanks also to Brett Nicholls, who sparked in me ideas through conversation as well as, unwittingly, the readings he assigned to the undergraduates I was charged with tutoring which proved to be relevant and useful for this project. Thanks must also go out to Theresa Crapanzano, Joe Terry, Christopher Bell, Claudia Bucciferro, and Travis Ripley for their support, camaraderie, and esprit d’corps. Thanks to my parents for the love and support, and especially for my Dad who got me involved in building plastic models as a child. Finally, thanks most of all to my loving wife Jenny and my children, Mairi and Laurielle, who have served as the inspiration to keep going. iv CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................1 Defining Masculinity, Delineating Masculinities, and Masculinity as Governmentality.......................................................................................................10 Stating the Problem, Introducing the Research Project............................................22 1. THE MILITARY ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX..........................................................27 1.1. Simulating War.........................................................................................................30 1.2. Synergizing War.......................................................................................................37 1.3. Marketing War..........................................................................................................52 1.4. Conclusion: Problematizing Conceptualizations of the MEC.................................58 2. GAME STUDIES: THEORIES, METHODS AND MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF GAMES, GAMERS AND GAMING.................................................................................64 2.1. Game Studies Methods: Delineating Game Text, Subjectivity, and Ecology.........65 2.1.1. Game Text: Representational and Structural Elements.................................67 2.1.2. Gaming Subjectivity: Immersion, Identification, Hooks, and Flow..............70 2.1.3. The Importance of Context: Ecologies of Gaming Culture..........................76 2.2. Social Realism, Ideology and Three Spheres of Resonance....................................84 2.2.1. Games and Ideology.......................................................................................87 2.2.2. Social Fidelity.................................................................................................91 2.2.3. Gamic Fidelity................................................................................................96 2.2.4. Gamer Fidelity................................................................................................99 v 2.3. Conclusion and Summary of Methods...................................................................107 3. THE SOCIAL FIDELITY OF CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE.......................111 3.1. “A James Bond Movie Directed by Jerry Bruckheimer”: The Story of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.................................................................................113 3.2. Tropes of Military Masculinity in COD4..............................................................116 3.2.1. Race and Nation: Defining the Self Through the Other..............................118 3.2.2. Mental and Physical Toughness...................................................................131 3.2.3. The Nobility of Sacrifice..............................................................................138 3.3. Conclusion.............................................................................................................145 4. THE GAMIC FIDELITY OF CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE.......................149 4.1. Common Generic Elements of the First Person Shooter.......................................151 4.1.1. Individual(istic) Heroism.............................................................................152 4.1.2. Authentic Versus Credible Gamespace........................................................155 4.1.3. Utilizing Information in Gamespace............................................................157 4.2. Credible Gameplay and the Importance of Informational Verisimilitude.............161 4.2.1. Aggression, Proficiency and Efficiency.......................................................163 4.2.2. (In)Credible Technology and Information...................................................172 4.3. Conclusion.............................................................................................................180 5. THE GAMER FIDELITY OF CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE......................183 5.1. Of Noobs and Pwnage: Norms of Play in Multiplayer Combat...........................186 5.1.1. Playing Alone Together: Invidivual(istic) Merit and the Construction of Prestige ..........................................................................................................187 vi 5.1.2. Cheaters and Virtuosos................................................................................195 5.2. Manning the Defenses: Maintaining Gamer-Space.............................................204 5.2.1. Of Fags, Bitches, and Braggadocios: Discursive Norms of Online Play....205 5.2.2. Bravado, Bitching and Blokiness: Observations from a Cybercafe..........212 5.3. War, What Is It Good For: The Apolitical Politics of Gamer Culture.................223 5.4. Conclusion............................................................................................................230 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: GAMING WAR AND MILITARY MASCULINITY....................................................................................................................233 WORKS CITED....................................................................................................................251 VIDEOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................265
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